1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a carrier assembly for supporting a cargo container at the rear of a vehicle and, more particularly, is concerned with a carrier assembly which attaches to a receiver-type trailer hitch and is adapted for swinging of the cargo container which it supports outward and away from the rear of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is often desirable to increase the capacity of a vehicle to transport cargo, such as luggage, by supporting a container for carrying additional cargo on the outside of the vehicle. Various carrier designs exist that may support cargo containers at various locations on a vehicle. Some carriers attach to the roof of a vehicle. Such roof-top carriers make it difficult to load and unload the container since the cargo must be lifted to the roof of the vehicle. Roof-top carriers are especially disadvantageous when the vehicle is a van or mini-van because such vehicles have highly elevated roofs.
Carriers designed to attach to the rear of a vehicle have a significant advantage over roof-top carriers because it is easier to load and unload a cargo container supported at the rear of the vehicle. Some carriers attach to the rear bumper of the vehicle, however such designs can be very difficult if not impossible to attach to the bumpers of many recent automobiles. Additionally, the bumpers of many recent automobiles lack adequate strength to support a significant load on the carrier. To overcome these two limitations, other carriers attach to receiver-type hitches available at the rear of many vehicles. Such carriers are easy to attach and can support substantial loads since they fit into a hitch designed specifically for quick attachment of trailers and the like.
When a carrier is attached to a receiver hitch at the rear of a vehicle, it can inhibit access to the rear of a vehicle and can interfere with the opening of the trunk, tailgate or doors at the rear of the vehicle necessitating its removal from the vehicle whenever the trunk, tailgate or rear doors must be opened. This presents a significant disadvantage. Several carrier assemblies exist that overcome this disadvantage by allowing the container to pivot or otherwise be moved out of the way so that the container does not interfere with the opening of a trunk, tailgate or rear doors of the vehicle without the need to remove the carrier from the vehicle.
The luggage carrier disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,202,332 to Walker pivots about one of its supporting members so that it may be swung outward away from the rear of the vehicle to provide greater access to the trunk of the vehicle. However, it is not adapted for attachment to a receiver-type hitch and is therefore rather difficult to install. The trunk top carrier disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,135 to Marren is adapted for attachment to a receiver-type hitch but, because it includes a stationary vertical bracket, it is inappropriate for use on vehicles which have a tailgate that swings upward, such as many mini-vans and sport-utility vehicles, or a tailgate which swings downward, such as many trucks. The luggage rack for vehicles disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,740 to Cox pivots from a raised position to a ground position so that it does not interfere with the opening of an upward or downward swinging tailgate. Nevertheless, the assembly remains positioned immediately behind the vehicle and thus continues to hinder access to the rear of the vehicle unless the assembly is removed from the receiver hitch and moved. The sports equipment vehicle rack disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,373 to Lovci is adapted for attachment to a receiver-type hitch and pivots from adjacent to the rear of the vehicle to remote therefrom, but employs a vertical equipment rack thereon.
Consequently a need still exists for a carrier assembly for supporting a cargo container at the rear of a vehicle that attaches to a receiver hitch at the rear of the vehicle and allows for swinging of the cargo container outward from the rear of the vehicle so that the assembly does not interfere with the opening of a tailgate or doors at the rear of the vehicle and does not hinder access to the rear of the vehicle.